Loudspeaker systems typically have different radiation properties in the horizontal and vertical planes. This is generally used in a targeted fashion to provide even sound for audience areas of various geometry. A customary measure for obtaining a defined radiation behaviour for a sound source is to use particular loudspeaker types or a horn for the sound routing.
Loudspeaker boxes can be operated as individual systems or in loudspeaker groups. Typical individual systems are loudspeaker boxes which have been set up in the domestic sector, for example. Loudspeaker groups are frequently used when sound needs to be provided for larger areas or spaces. By way of example, loudspeaker groups are used for concerts, e.g. for open-air concerts or in halls. In the case of loudspeaker groups, it is necessary to take account not only of the acoustic properties of the individual loudspeaker boxes but also of the arrangement of the loudspeaker boxes relative to one another, which significantly influences the overall radiation behaviour of the loudspeaker group. One frequently used loudspeaker group is what are known as line arrays, for example, in which loudspeaker boxes are arranged beneath one another in a vertical column.